Burrowing Owls

When I moved back to Hutchinson from Manhattan (ks) I quickly discovered all of the opportunities to capture wildlife right in town. Prairie Dogs, geese, ducks, deer, turkeys....and BURROWING OWLS. I have always been intrigued by owls however wasn't sure I would ever have the opportunity to get a good picture of one outside a zoo due to their normally nocturnal lifestyles. Not so with the Burrowing Owl. These inquisitive and humorous small owls are day hunters. Not only that but they are more tolerable of people than most wildlife subjects.

That being said it still takes a bit of work to get a good shot of these critters. For one they were residing in a busy area with a lot of distracting background. Additionally, while they are tolerable of curious humans poking around I still needed some reach with my lens due to their size. Generally I could get within 40 feet of them. Finally, because they are day hunters the owls appeared to be more active during the harsh light of the day.

I can't wait for them to come back to Hutch next year. While in warmer climates they are year round residents they take up residence in this part of the country for a few months during early to late summer before going south (perhaps to Mexico).

This particular shot was converted to black and white because I liked the contrast of the scene and felt the owls really jumped out of the picture in black and white.

(canon 50D, Canon 300 f/4L IS)